Italian PM Meloni tricked by Russian pranksters posing as top official in spoof call

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni got tricked by Russian pranksters who posed as head of the African Union Commission. The pranksters involved in the incident are well-known Russian "comedians" - Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, also known as Vovan and Lexus.

During the hoax call, Meloni touched upon a range of topics from the response of European leaders on war in Ukraine to the issue of increasing migrant arrivals on Italy's shores.

The incident came to light when the 13-minute-long spoof call was released online on Wednesday (Nov 1) by the two Russian pranksters.

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Vovan and Lexus are known widely for pranking top world leaders, including Polish president Andrzej Duda, former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

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The duo fooled these leaders into making frank comments about geopolitics.

Meloni was made to believe by the pranksters that she was holding a discussion with the head of the African Union Commission.

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Speaking about the Russia-Ukraine war, Meloni, who spoke in English, said that the European leaders have a "lot of fatigue."

"I see that there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides. We (are) near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out," she said adding, "The problem is to find a way out which can be acceptable for both without destroying the international law."

According to Meloni's office, which released a statement about the call, showed regret and said that the conversation took place on September 18.As per the statement, the talks took place ahead of the meetings with African leaders at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Migrants issue

The Italian PM also deplored European leaders for their stance on the migrant issue.

Commenting on Italy's position over the migrants influx from across the Mediterranean, Meloni said, "They do all agree that only Italy has to solve this problem alone. It's a very stupid way of thinking."

Russian prankster Lexus hailed the Italian PM Meloni saying that at least she shared her true opinions over the call, something which isclaimed to not have been seen in conversations with other world leaders the duo managed to trick.

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"Unfortunately, unlike her, many European politicians behave like some kind of programmed robot and express points of view that are only voiced in their own circles," Lexus told Reuters in a telephonic conversation.

Lexus said that he was the one who spoke with Meloni and Vovan was only listening to the call. Meloni made headlines recently when she split with her TV presenter partner last month following his sexist remarks.

(With inputs from agencies)